14 November 2003
Giving patients choice and control over their own treatment will result in a more equitable health service, Health Secretary John Reid said last week.
Addressing a New Health Network event on choice, capacity and culture in the NHS on November 7, Reid said patients who were denied choice had worse health outcomes. But he added that choices needed to be real and practical. 'Choice is nothing as long as it remains theoretical. It is mere rhetoric unless it is rooted in reality, practical in its implication and underpinned by the resources, the information and the power required to make it meaningful,' he said.
Reid added that, despite the principle of fairness that underpinned the NHS, patients had not benefited equally because people had different health needs, influenced by their gender, race, age and socio-economic status.
He cited London School of Economics research showing that individuals with low incomes and educational qualifications used NHS services less than more affluent and better educated people.
'It would appear that some people gain better access because of these cultural factors,' Reid said. 'So, if we are concerned to achieve an equitable approach to health care, then we must change the way in which we deliver our services. The aim and the challenge of the NHS must be to empower everyone to gain the services they need.'
The Department of Health's consultation on patient choice closed on November 11. The DoH said it intended to make choice an everyday part of NHS and social care. The exercise should help determine what patients want, what information and support they would need and how services could be redesigned to accommodate this.
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